Edgar Berlanga is likely to make his return to the ring in February, with Puerto Rico being eyed as the venue for his comeback. After taking a significant step up in competition and suffering a unanimous decision loss to Saul “Canelo” Alvarez this past Saturday in Las Vegas, Berlanga’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, believes the fighter has now solidified his place among the top names in the super middleweight division.
“If you look at the division now, my question is tell me a more valuable fighter or a bigger name at 168 [besides Canelo],” Hearn told iFL TV. “For me, it’s Edgar Berlanga. You’ve got Jaime Munguia, Caleb Plant, [Jermall] Charlo, and Diego Pacheco. But Edgar, after that performance, and his personality and charisma, I think he’s become a huge star, and I’m really excited about the future.”
While fellow Matchroom fighter Diego Pacheco is also in the mix at 168, Hearn is unlikely to pit Berlanga against him just yet, preferring to develop both fighters as potential stars in the division.
With Berlanga now sitting at 22-1, it’s expected that his next fight will serve as a confidence-builder after his first professional defeat. Hearn has hinted that this comeback bout could take place in Puerto Rico, where Berlanga has deep family roots.
“I’d like to take him to Puerto Rico. I think he’d do a huge gate there,” Hearn said.
With the super middleweight division stacked with big names, Berlanga will for sure have plenty of options following his return.
Read more about the one and only Edgar Berlanga here.
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